Advent Children: Chapter 1 Hunger Pains
by MOOGLEgurl14
Summary: A young girl named Yunai suffers from the deadly geostigma along with her young orphan friend, Denzel. She and him live with Tifa Lockheart, a caring friend of Yunai's. This is just the beginning of her healing process and the obstacles she will face.
1. Chapter 1

Before you kill me, yes, I have made an OC for FF7 and from what I believe, she is not a mary sue! I REALLY hate those type of characters. In this story she is only friends with the characters of Final Fantasy Advent CHildren. SO before you start reading, let me introduce you to my oc. Her name is Yunai. She is a mage who has the ability to use the power of the winds, some healing, and is able to conjure up a magical artifact known as a Harisen Sword (fan/sword). She is about 17 years old and isn't really good at her magic skillz yet lol and is kinda a scaredy cat. But overall she tries her best in aiding her friends in battle. Pretty much since she was about 13 years old, she became friends with Tifa Lockheart and since then they have been friends. Yeha, that's pretty uch all I need to say right now. Please enjoy my story.

CHAPTER 1

Hunger Pains

The girl sat at the window seat, distracted by the busy traffic of people from below, watching them pass by while studying their faces and little quirks. This was a habit of hers. She fiddled with her long twisted braid nervously, leaving the other to dangle from the side of her face which reached down to her ribs . The sound of a quiet groan snapped her out of her gaze and she quickly turned from the window.

"Well, how does it look?" asked a young boy laying in a bed. He held his hand to his face, and then revealed a bruise of some sort just above his brow. A younger girl who wore a pink bandana in the very back of her head looked at him with worry, studying the bruised mark on his forehead. She gave a light sigh and tucked him in while the young boy began to drift off into a sleep. "Please, please don't take Denzel away", the small girl quietly thought to herself

"Yunai?", said the young girl with the bandana. "Is Denzel going to be ok?" It took a few seconds for her to give a reply.

"Marlene", she began to pause and took a breathe, "He'll be just fine." Yunai smiled reassuringly which seemed to wear off on Marlene, for she began to bear a small smile of relief. But Yunai didn't really know if Denzel would be ok. This weird disease seemed to be taking the lives of many, and no one seemed to know where it came from. All she could do was have faith and hope that there would be an end to the epidemic. They sat in silence for a while. The room felt dull and grey, not even the colorful drawn pictures by Marlene and Denzel on the walls could brighten up the room. The days seemed to get a lot like that of a sudden, the telephone began to ring, disturbing the silence in the room and also waking Denzel up. Yunia, Marlene, and Denzel sat waiting for someone to pick up the phone, but it kept ringing. What seemed like a long minute passed by until the ringing stopped. Yunai thought it had finally reached the voice message, but then she could hear Tifa's voice from across the hall. Tifa picked it up on time.

"Strife Delivery Service, how may I help yo-" Tifa was cut off. Yunai tried to listen carefully, hoping that it might be someone she knew. She heard Tifa give out a small laugh and then a reply, "Yeah, I remember you." Yunai began to feel naucious, so she got up quickly and headed to the bathroom. Tifa watched Yunai scurry pass the door to the bathroom down the hall. Yunai had been feeling strange lately, but all she would tell anyone was that she just had a stomach ache, but Tifa began to find it somewhat suspicious. Once Tifa finished talking to the stranger on the phone, she came into Denzel's and Marlene's room.

"How are you guys keeping up?" she asked sincerely.

"Alright I guess." replied Denzel. Marlene just kept her eyes on Denzel and nodded.

"Okay then. Let me know if you want anything to eat." Tifa said while keeping her sincere smile on her face while trying to hide her concern. The two youths had forgotten about how they haven't even eaten breakfast yet.

"Sure." said Marlene shyly. Tifa then left the room and headed back downstairs to the bar area where she continued to clean and wait for any customers whom rarely showed up this time of day.

Yunai looked at her frail self in the mirror, analyzing every flaw she could find, but the biggest one that seemed to bother her the most was right under her shirt, one that no one could see but her. She slowly began to fold up her shirt to view the flaw. She revealed a dark and quite large bruise mark on her abdomen that stretched almost to her back on her left side, making the mark look uneven. She had the disease, geostigma. Yunai stood there, not looking much surprised.

"Well, it hasn't been spreading since yesterday. Guess I'm okay for now." she thought. Geostigam was known to spread very quickly. Yunai discovered that she had geostigma about four days ago, but decided not to tell anyone. Taking care of one person infected with the disease was hard enough on Tifa and the others. She didn't want to stress anyone anymore. She felt guilty for being an infected. Because of the disease's location, her stomach had been having a hard time. She gave out a slight groan. The pain was worse today though.

Yunai began to drag her tired body down the steep stairs which lead to the bar area. As she reached the bottom, Tifa seemed to be talking to someone on the phone again. Yunai began to make her way behind the bar to get her apron.

"Cloud, how are you." asked Tifa. She then hung up the phone, revealing that she was only leaving a message. Yunai looked up instantly from under the bar and seemed to forget about finding her apron. Tifa then went right back to cleaning. Yunai stayed silent, but couldn't keep in the question that had been bothering her for the past couple days.

"How long has it been, since you've talked to Cloud?" Yunai asked anxiously yet nervously. Tifa looked over at her and then to her feet. She seemed to be trying to recall it.

"It's been a couple weeks." she finally said," But, I'm sure he'll call soon enough." she said with a faint smile. This is what Yunia liked about Tifa. She always focused on the positive things and knew how to bring everyone's spirits up when they felt down. Yunai couldn't help but smile too, but at the same time, she knew she couldn't necessarily trust what Tifa said. It almost seemed like Cloud had abandoned them. She knew that wasn't the case though. All of a sudden, a sharp pain rushed through Yunai's abdominal area, causing her to grab her stomach while crouching down, almost being driven to tears.

"Yunai!" Tifa exclaimed with surprise. She rushed over to Yunai's side and knelt down beside her, rubbing her back softly. Yunai gave out a little wimper, trying to hold back the tears. She didn't like to cry in front of anyone, not even her best friend. Tifa gave out a small sigh.

"If only you could heal yourself. It's quite a sacrifice you have with your ability. Only being able to heal others, taking away from your own strength." Tifa chuckled softly, "What an unselfish gift you have." Yunai regained her strength back and lightly pushed Tifa's hands to the side.

"Im okay now, guess I'm just hungry." Yunai reassured Tifa, while wiping her eyes which appeared to be a light shade of red. She began to make her way behind the bar again, searching for her apron.

"I don't think that was a hunger pain." Tifa said with concern, "I'm worried that your getting sick." Yunai knew Tifa suspected something, but she couldn't think of what to say. She began to play with her long braid, twisting it subconciously and remained silent. Yunai finally found her apron and took the opportunity to put it on quickly, showing Tifa that she was indeed alright and was willing to waitress and help cook if needed. It didn't seem to impress Tifa at all though.

"I want you to take the day off." Tifa said with finality. Yunai lowered her head, she knew she'd lost this battle, even though she didn't even really try to fight back.

"Alright, TIfa. If it keeps you from worrying about me." Yunai sighed and made her way to the stairs. Tifa's eyes followed Yunai to the stairs and up until she made her way around the corner. Yunai walked into Denzel and Marlene's room and flopped onto the bed with defeat.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

The Stranger in Leather

It was early afternoon now. Yunai, still on the bed but laying on her backside now, lay there staring into space. Denzel had regained some strength and was outside for the first time in several days.

Marlene was downstairs with Tifa, most likely getting a glass of apple juice or soda. She would return shortly and maybe Yunai would propose a board game so she wouldn't feel so bored. One thing Yunai wished she could do was play her cello. It kept her distracted from life, all she had to focus on was playing the right notes. But the cello was up in the attic, which could only be reached by going into Cloud's office. She didn't want to risk knocking anything over due to her natural clumsiness. She wouldn't want Cloud to get mad at her when he came back, if he came back.

TIme went by, and Marlene had not come back upstairs yet.

"Marlene!" Yunai called out. Nothing. She called a few more times but still no response. Yunai sighed, got up, and made her way towards the stairs. This was a peeve of hers, having to go get someone when she already had called for them. Yunai always had a bit of a laziness to her. She was always good when it came to her job as a waitress though, well, sometimes. She always thought that she had the benefit of having her best friend as her boss and would take advantage of it, but today was different. She made her way down the stairs and was greeted by a very peppy Marlene.

"We're gonna go visit Cloud! You should come with us." said Marlene excitedly. Yunai was shocked and looked over at Tifa for approval. She clearly wanted to go.

"Well, are you feeling up to it, Yunai?" Tifa asked anxiously. Yunia's face lit up with excitement and anxiety at the same time.

"Uh, yes please." Yunai said shyly. She was so happy that she was going to see Cloud, but nervous at the same time. Cloud was like Yunai's older brother, he was special to her.

The three made their way to an abandoned church where Cloud supposedly spent most of his time. The church had a broken feeling to it, but that's what made it so beautiful. Tifa opened the large wooden doors, which creaked loudly. Marlene skipped in first, running right down the isle. Tifa held the door open for Yunai. Yunai was at first confused by her gesture but then realized her generous offer and huddled inside. At the end of the isle there was a small meadow of white and yellow flowers. Marlene headed straight for them while Yunai quietly followed looking around. Cloud was nowhere in sight. All that remained were his belongings; a sleeping bag, cantene, a lantern, and a peculiar metallic box.

"Does Cloud live here?" Marlene asked while looking at the flowers. This question caught Yunai's attention.

"I guess he does." replied Tifa somewhat monotoned. She walked over to where his belongings were while Marlene followed. Yunai followed silently. Marlene made her way over to Cloud's belongings and began to analyze every object with curiosity.

"It's just like Denzel... is Cloud sick?" Marlene asked Tifa with curiosity. Yunai's attention was now on Marlene, who appeared to be holding a long strip of bandage tape with remains of geostigma. Everything became silent. Yunai couldn't believe it, Cloud was infected too.

"Why didn't he say anything?" Tifa asked herself out loud, almost tearing up. Yunai felt uneasy, she thought she was going to get another pain again, but it passed. The whole idea of Cloud not telling them made her stomach churn.

"Did he leave because he was sick?" Marlene asked. Yunai stood there not able to answer the question, not even for herself.

"He wants to fight it alone." replied Tifa, still emotionless.

"Fight?" asked Marlene with surprise.

"No," replied Tifa as she paused as if retracing her thought," he has no intent to fight it." Marlene looked up at Tifa who seemed to be in an emotionless trance.

"Tifa." said Marlene with sincerity, causing Tifa to break out of her trance. Tifa then looked over at Yunai to make sure she was still in the room, since she was so silent for the past couple minutes. Tifa then turned to Marlene and knelt down to her height with a smile.

"Lets go home, okay?" she said with a smile as she glanced at Yunai for some support. Marlene immediately stampered off in the other direction and then turned around to face Tifa.

"No! Clouds' not here yet!" she shouted. Yunai was surprised by Marlene's action since she never seemed to act out like this.

"I know sweety." Tifa said kindly, ignoring Marlene's previous tone, " I miss him too."

"I wonder if he misses us." Yunai said softly. Marlene nor Tifa seemed to hear her which was probably for the best.

"So, say he comes back?"asked Tifa somewhat excitedly.

"We'll all go home." replied Marlene, her eyes lighting up.

"Not until he gets a lecture." Tifa smiled. Yunai then grinned at the thought of lecturing Cloud, which made her giggle out loud. Marlene smiled and nodded in approval.

Several minutes had passed and there was still no sign of Cloud. Marlene was over by the flower bed, stroking each flower delicately. Yunai examined Marlene from afar. Her gestures reminded Yunai of someone she once knew.

"When Marlene grows up, I bet she's going to be a flower girl." Tifa said proudly. Yunai smiled at the thought.

"Just like Aerith." Yunai said with a soft tone, " If Marlene grows up to be like her, she'll have a good head on her shoulders." It was good to hear Yunai speak so highly of Aerith, not that Yunai disliked her, but there was a time when Yunai was incredibly jealous of her.

"I'm glad you think so." said Tifa while slightly nudging her. Yunai gave out a small laugh, until it was interrupted by the loud creak of the church doors being kicked open. The sound of heavy footsteps came slowly from the opposing end of the church. Marlene had gotten up quickly and made a running start toward the sillohuet of a tall man at the end of the isle. But Tifa received a better look at the man and saw it wasn't Cloud and quickly pulled Marlene into her grasp. Yunai stood there behind Tifa, anxious to see who this stranger was. The tall man wore all black, leather to be precise which squeaked as he walked. As he came closer, his deep blue mako colored eyes and silvery hair were all too familiar, but he wasn't who Yunai and Tifa thought he was. His hair was cut short, he bore long side burns and a strong chin. At this point he was about fifteen feet away from the three girls. He then held out his hand.

"Wanna play?" the man asked like a child, but with a very masculine voice. It sent chills up Yunai's spine. He began to walk much closer to the three."I guess that's a no... where's mother?" he asked as he finally stopped in his tracks. Silence. "Mother?" Yunai thought to herself. He asked again but this time he wasn't kidding.

"There's no one here!" Tifa snapped back, holding Marlene close to her. The man didn't look amused at all. He then made a glance at Yunai, his blue eyes piercing through hers. He seemed to be searching through her soul, causing Yunai to get goosebumps. When he didn't receive an answer out of her, his glance switched back to Tifa's.

"Fine," he retorted," play with me." he almost demanded with a smirk. Tifa knew he was being serious, she would have to fight him to get out of this.

"Take Marlene and hide somewhere." Tifa quietly demanded. Yuna's face grew pale. She hated fighting. She thought she would never have to be apart of it again.

"Tifa. What can I do?" Yunai asked Tifa frantically yet boldly. She honestly did not want to do anything but she felt it was right.

"Just protect yourself and Marlene! I don't want you two to be apart of any of this!" she said almost irritated while pushing her along. Yunai took Marlene by the shoulder and lead her quickly behind a pillar in the far corner of the church.

Tifa began to put on her leather gloves, which meant serious business. The man examined her as she got into a battle stance. He seemed intrigued.

"This will be fun." the man chuckled while getting into his battle stance too. Tifa immediately darted at the man, throwing punches while finishing off with a round house kick to his face. The man was able to hold his stance, recovered quickly, and pulled her close to him, using the stun gun on his arm and directing it right to her face. Tifa flew back about twenty to thirty feet landing in the flower bed. She wiped some blood that dripped from her bottom lip while the man stood there with pride as he let out a small chuckle. This time, Tifa darted again but slid on the ground trying to trip him, but he easily jumped performing a front flip. He landed too slowly though for Tifa delivered a strong punch, which gave her many oppurtunities to hit him more than once. They danced around the church for quite some time. Tifa, now in midair, was thinking the fight was all hers, until the man grabbed her ankle and began to swing her into the rows of pews. He let go, throwing her straight at the concrete wall at the very end of the church just above the flower bed. The speed of his throw caused the flower pedals to rise in the air. As they floated back down, Tifa was not injured at all. She had held her balance agianst the wall, and this time looked more determined then ever. The man stood there, almost in awe, but tried to hide it. Tifa then kicked off the wall with all her might. She got a grip of the man's face, slammed it down into the wooden floor, and dragged him with her to the opposite end of the church. She brought him up and then threw him down as hard as she could into some pews. He had to be finished. Yunai kept her eyes on the smashed pews in the corner of the church where the stranger was taken out. Tifa then landed elegantly in the center of the church, standing up straight while lightly brushing off some debri from her shirt.

"Tifa!" Marlene called out as she left from behind the pillar. She started running towards Tifa who was now smiling. Yunai rose from the ground and came around the pillar, now seeing that Tifa was alright.

"Let's go." Yunai said almost pleading. She was obviously worried. Tifa nodded in agreement and took Marlene by the hand. As they took there first step, a funny victory ring tone echoed loudly through the church. The three paused. It repeated, again and again. Yunai took out her cell phone and looked at Tifa.

"It's not me." Yunai said with a faint smile while trying to hold back some fear. The ring tone was coming from the corner of the church, under the pews. Suddenly, the pews shot up from the ground, causing clouds of dust. The man stood up effortlessly and turned his back on the three girls. He then picked up his cellphone and the ring tone stopped.

"She's not here." the man said into the phone.

"Now's our chance, let's go." Yunai whispered to Tifa. TIfa looked unsure of what to do, she just made sure that Marlene remained behind her. The man turned around, still on the phone, noticing their private chatting.

"No, I got it! I'll bring the girl." the man said while looking the girls' way. Yunai gulped. "Which girl?" she asked herself in her mind. Her legs felt like they were buckling, her limbs were shaking. She was scared. She held tight to Marlene's hand. Marlene squeezed back, revealing her anxiety as well. The man got back into his fighting pose, as if time were repeating itself.

"Now, where were we?" he snickerd. Tifa then braced herself, trying to expect whatever he was about to do. He launched a pew right at them. Tifa held her ground as the pew came rushing towards them. Yunai pulled Marlene back as Tifa acted like a shield. The pew hit with a lot of force, but Tifa's strength broke the pew to pieces. Yuna was directly behind Tifa, Marlene was behind her. It felt like everything slowed down for a few seconds. The man, who was once at the opposite end of the church was now right beside Tifa. His speed was incredible, or he had teleported. Yunai could not decifer it. Time felt as it returned back to normal speed. The man used the gadget on his arm and pierced it through Tifa's stomach, shooting out an electric shock though her body. She let out a scream and began to fall forward. Yunai's face filled with terror as she began to move backwards, pushing Marlene back as well. The man used his speed to catch her before she fell to the floor and pinned Tifa to a pillar. He shot out another electric shock to her stomach, causing the pillar to break and crumble down. He then threw her into the flower bed. She laid there almost motionless.

Yunia stood a few feet from Tifa as the man began to come closer.

"Stop!" Yunai yelled with fear and anger all in one. The man stopped in his tracks and smirked.

"And what? What can you do?" the man snickered. She tried to look at him in the eye, but it was hard for her. He began to take some more steps towards Tifa. He wasn't amused by Yunai's boldness.

There was a light breeze that came in through the church, causing the rise of the flower's aroma to lift in the air. The man stopped and began to cough lightly, also holding in a sneeze, but the aroma became stronger because the breeze became stronger. The breeze was now a strong wind. The man's attention was now on Yunai, who looked like she was in a trance. She held out her hand which looked like she was gripping an invisible object. Light shown through her hand which then revealed a solid object as the light dimmed. The wind finally stopped and the pedals that were lifted in the air began to fall slowly.

Yuani stood her ground, wielding a large steel fan, a harisen.

"You'll have to get through me first." she said confidently. She was even surprised by her own speech. This was the second time she's ever had to summon her artifact and she almost felt comfortable this time. But was she speaking to soon. Another pain surged through her abdomen, causing her to hold her stomach, trying not to crouch.

"Dammit..." she said under her breath. She gave out a groan. The pains were just getting worse. The man smiled to himself and his body language became more loose.

"I get it. " he chuckled lightly, "You have geostigma, don't you?" Marlene looked up at Yunai with surprise. All Yunai could do was look up for a brief second, but her look read yes all over it.

"Come with me, we can make all your pain stop." he said but not sounding very sincere about it. Yunai shook her head while Marlene rushed to her side grasping her arm.

"No? Well that's just not the answer I was looking for." he said, almost pitying her. For some reason the pain was not leaving this time, which made it hard for Yunai to stand up straight. She decided to make a bold move. She started dialing Cloud's number on her cell phone. Her fingers moved quickly, the phone began to ring on the other end. The man saw her action and his face showed disappointment. He lunged towards Yunai with great speed. His force brought her down fast, causing her to release the phone which went hurdling through the air into the flower bed. She was out, out cold. Her harisen sword began to slowly fade away. The man snickered and threw Yunai over his shoulder, her limbs dangling like a lifeless puppet.

"How disappointing, I thought we were going to play." he said, almost with disappointment. All of a sudden, something hard hit the back of the man's head. He turned around looking somewhat confused and annoyed at the same time. Marlene stood by Cloud's metallic box which was now open. The box was filled with glowing orbs called materia. The man smiled and walked towards Marlene with heavy footsteps. It was as if he found what he was looking for. His shadow lured over Marlene.

". . . Cloud." she wimpered.


	3. Chapter 3

A lot of the commentary in this chapter was taken from the original screenplay in the movie so just a heads up that some of the dialog belongs to their rightful owners.

CHAPTER 3

Black Water

The sky was dark now. The only light source in her surroundings was the pale moon and the tree's which illuminated a strong white glow. Yunai began to slowly wake from her long unpleasant slumber. She could hear two men speaking, one was the man at the church, and the other was a new voice. She laid still, pretending to be asleep. She could hear their footsteps approach her.

"Loz, was it neccessary to bring this one." the new voice said with elegance.

"She wields some sort of weapon," Loz stated,"she also has geostigma. I bet if we got her to drink the water she could become useful." Yunai, trying to control her breathing since her heart was beating fast with fear, continued to listen to the two men.

"Hmph, when she wakes, we'll make her." the knew man said. His voice was soothing, it wasn't as intimidating as Loz's. Yunai tried her best to relax herself.

"So, where is she infected?" the man asked. Yunai became tense again.

"On her stomach, I'm sure of it." said Loz. Right when she thought that they might have left, she felt her shirt lifting up and a gloved hand lightly touch her stomach. Yunai jumped and shrieked while pushing the man's hands away. The man stood alarmed, his long silvery hair covering half of his face. Yunai tried to make a run for it but Loz grabbed her leg and pulled her forward violently. The man with the long hair gripped her arm tightly and started dragging her. Yunai struggled to get free, she let out screams, but it didn't seem like anyone was going to help her. She looked back at Loz and realized he was holding onto Marlene.

"Let us go!" Yunai screamed at the man. He wasn't amused and just kept dragging her. He brought her around a large rock formation that looked like a giant seashell. There was a small lake, on the other side there was a crowd of children. He held onto her tightly as Loz came around the other side with Marlene. They greeted another man with silver hair that went to his shoulders. Yunai stayed silent for now, studying each man. She noticed that this man was much younger than the other two. He looked about the same age as her. Roughly around sixteen or seventeen. Yunai looked down by the younger man's feet and noticed Clouds metallic chest, which was filled with materia.

"Mother has given me a very special gift!" the young man exclaimed while looking up to the sky with his arms raised, as if he were praising it, "The power to fight," he continued,"against a planet that torments humanity." The children seemed enthralled by his speech.

"She gave this gift to all her children." the young man said referring to the children standing on the other side of the water,"That's right. You and I are bretheran." Yunai looked up in surprise. "He's brainwashing them!" she thought.

"Brothers and sisters chosen when we inherited mother's mometic legacy through the lifestream!" he said, raising his arms and turning his back on the children. He now faced his two brothers, glancing at Yunai. He walked slowly over to her. He was only but a few inches taller, but his strength was much more. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her forward with him.

"But the planet doesn't approve of that at all! " he said with more anger. His grip on Yunai tightened, most likely bruising her wrist, "It's doing everything it can to hold us back! That's why it's wracking our bodies with pain, and filling our hearts with doubt!" he said with more emotion while pointing to all the children. He ended with a boy with wavy brown hair, it was Denzel. Yunai's eyes widened. Did Denzel not recognize that it was her. He seemed to remain silent through out the whole speech. The young man pushed Yunai back violently, he was only using her as an example. The tall long haired man gripped her shoulder. She didn't struggle at all this time.

"Now, I shall heal you." he said with a much more calm voice, "And we will go to mother together. We will join as a family and strike back at the planet!" he exclaimed as fumes of color rose from his body.

"Do as I do." he instructed the children. He began walking into the water, it blackened as he stepped into it. He cupped his hands and laid them in the water. He brought it up to his face and drank it. He then gave out a refreshed sigh and waited. The children one by one started walking into the water. Yunai saw Denzel take his first step in and panicked.

"Don't! What are you making them do?" she yelled frantically. The young man ignored her. Denzel cupped his hands and put them in the black water. He rose them to his face, and drank it. He looked a little pale, and then his eyes flashed a blue green color, just like the three men's. All of the children did.

"Hey Kadaj." The long haired man said a bit distracted. He seemed to be on alert.

"What is it, Yazoo?" Kadaj asked his brother. Yazoo listened carefully and then smiled.

"Brother is here." he said almost sweetly.

"Excellent." Kadaj replied. He then looked at Yunai and saw that she just hung her head low, almost trying not to be noticed. Kadaj's face lit up, as if he remembered something.

"That's right. I bet your thirsty aren't you?" he said coldly. Yunai lifted her head up, realizing that he was talking about her. Before she could say anything, she was being pushed towards the water, her feet were already in. The water was cold, causing her teeth to chatter. Kadaj then pulled her in deeper, the water now up to her waist. The water kept her speed to a minimum, she couldn't move away from him as fast as she wanted to. He placed his hand on the back of her head and dunked it into the water. He caught Yunai by surprise. Her head was under the murky water. She tried her hardest not to take in any of the it, fearing that she would become brainwashed. She lifted her head from underneath the water, taking in deep breaths. Her hair covered her eyes, She didn't know what was happening now. She felt Kadaj's hand on her head again. He pushed her down harder and this time kept his hand locked onto her scalp, keeping her from coming up.

"Kadaj, she's not a toy." Yazoo said almost emotionless.

"Yeah, you don't want to kill her." Loz added, almost sounding worried. He did appear to be the most emotional out of the three. Kadaj let Yunai come back up, she still hadn't swallowed the water. Her breaths were much more hoarse, she coughed a lot too. Yunai tried moving the wet pieces of hair from her face, but a bright headlight blinded her. The sound of a motorcycle drained out the voices of the three men. Kadaj called his brothers to his side, leaving Yunai in the water and Marlene at the shore. The children followed them. Yunai ran out of the water towards Marlene and hugged her.

"Yunai! Denzel-" Marlene started but Yunai hushed her. She took Marlene by the hand and lead her though some of the glowing trees.

"We have to leave." Yunai stated a bit out of breath. She felt heavy, her clothes were sopping wet and she was cold. They headed what they thought was south and hid. They could hear the sound of gun shots, swords clashing, and explosions from afar.

What felt like hours later, the noises had stopped. Yunai decided that it would be safe to start moving again. She held Marlene by the hand and they began to make haste through the towering trees. The forest never seemed to end. Yunai then stopped in her tracks. She could hear what sounded like two men talking, Marlene stopped to listen. After just a few moments, Marlene's face lit up and she started running though some bushes, following the sound of the mens' voices. Yunai was too late to stop her, she had to run after her. It took Yunai a while to get out of what seemed like a cramped labrynth of bush. She was making a lot of noise, she was afraid she would lose Marlene. She then came stumbling out of a bush, almost falling to her knees. She lifted her head up quickly and was greeted by gun point.

"Wait!" a familiar voice demanded. Yunai looked over and recognized a tall man with blonde spiky hair. It was Cloud who was standing with Marlene.

"Cloud!" Yunai exclaimed with surprise. She then looked up at the man who then held his gun to his side. He was taller than Cloud, with long ebony hair, a pale face, and crimson eyes. Yunai smiled shyly, not really sure of what to say to this man and then rushed over to Cloud and Marlene.

"What are you doing here?" Yunai asked. Cloud looked shocked by her question.

"Cloud, I want to talk to Tifa!" Marlene interrupted. Cloud then searched his pocket, he couldn't find his phone. Marlene looked at Yunai.

"I must have dropped it at the Church." Yunai said sadly. Marlene turned to the gunman. He raised his red cape, gesturing that he didn't have one.

"You don't have a phone?" Marlene said surprised.

"Vincent, can you take them to Tifa? I'm gonna go see Shinra and get a few answers." Yunai looked up at Cloud with disappointment.

"I can't do that." Vincent clearly stated. Marlene frowned and turned to Cloud.

"Forget it Cloud! Why don't you ever pay any attention to us?" Marlene said with anger. She took Yunai by the hand and lead her towards Vincent. Yunai looked back at Cloud, she could see the guilt in his eyes.

"Please Marlene, give me some time." said Cloud, "There's a battle to be fought, but it's not as simple as just fighting. Do you understand?"

"No I don't!" Marlene shouted. Yunai looked at Cloud, she seemed to understand what he meant.

"Are you sure this is about fighting?" Vincent asked. Cloud looked to his feet. He thought for a minute.

"Are sins ever forgiven?" Cloud asked Vincent.

"I've never tried." Vincent said monotoned.

"You mean," Cloud stuttered,"never tried?" He thought about Vincent's words carefully.

"Yunai. Marlene. Lets go." Cloud finally said. Marlene smiled, let go of Yunai's hand and skipped back over to Cloud. Yunai looked at him with relief.

"Well I'm gonna try. I'll phone in a verdict." he said while taking Marlene by the hand. Yunai followed as they began to walk. She looked back to Vincent who stood there, as if he felt he accomplished something. Yunai now understood what he did. She met eyes with Vincent and worded, "thank you". Vincent just nodded. Yunai then ran ahead to catch up with Cloud who was waiting for her a few feet ahead. The trees seemed to glow brighter now, as if a curtain was lifted off them.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Reunion

The setting was still dark, the trees illuminated their soft glows while fireflies floated blissfully through the air. Marlene was now asleep in Cloud's arms, she was exhausted. Cloud and Yunai were silent for a while. They both seemed shy. It's been a while since they last talked, and when they did, it was usually brief."Cloud," Yunai broke the silence," why didn't you tell us that you have geostigma?" She asked nervously. Cloud slowed down and then returned to normal pace.

" I didn't want anyone to worry." he finally said. Yunai sighed heavily. Cloud looked at her with curiosity.

"Sounds a lot like myself." Yunai said, almost mocking herself. She then lifted her shirt only to her belly button revealing a much larger dark marking than before. Cloud gave out a gasp.

"I have it too." she stuttered looking to the ground. Cloud moved in closer to her, examining the bruised mark.

"This looks really bad," Cloud said under his breath," You should have told someone." he finally said aloud. Yunai looked disappointed.

"Well, then what gives you the right to keep a secret like this to yourself?" Yunai asked impatiently. Her voice was shaky. Cloud looked up at her and saw the seriousness in her eyes, tears seemed to almost form. She looked away, ashamed of what she just said.

"I'm sorry." she said embarrassed. She looked down as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. She hated crying in front of people. There were a few moments of silence. Yunai stood there feeling embarrassed. Then all of a sudden she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Your not at fault." Cloud said sincerely. She looked up at him while wiping her eyes. His eyes glinted, reassuring her that he was telling the truth. Yunai smiled in return and laughed.

"What?" Cloud asked anxiously. Yunai smiled to herself.

"I think I just saw you smile for the first time." she said gleefully. He looked embarrassed.

"But, I don't think I did just now." Cloud explained a bit confused.

"You smiled with your eyes." Yunai explained with a smile. Cloud patted Yunai's back gently, his eyes smiling again. They started walking again, making their way back to Cloud's motorcycle so they could go home.

After a couple hours of riding, Cloud stopped for a break. There was more grass and less trees in this area, meaning that they were only a few hours away from Midgar. Cloud helped Marlene off the motorcycle first. She quickly fell asleep in some tall grass. Yunai was helped off next, she dragged her body tiredly towards Marlene and collapsed as well.

"Man, I can't believe I lost my phone." Yunai said tiredly as if it was her only worry in the world. Cloud made his way over to the two, slightly dragging himself as well. He sat beside Yunai. As Yunai was about to shut her eyes, she heard Cloud give out a small groan. She sat up quickly, causing Cloud to jump a bit. Cloud sat there holding his wrist.

"Is it broken?" she asked nervously. He examined his wrist. He tried moving it but once he did, his wrist tightened and felt like it was twisting, causing him to clench his teeth.

"Yeah, I think so." Cloud replied, his voice was a bit shaky. He sounded like he was uncomfortable. Yunai examined his wrist, and then tried to touch it. Cloud pulled away slightly, but Yunai reassured him that she only wanted to see it.

"Let me fix it." Yunai said. This time she looked Cloud in the eye, letting him know that she was serious. Cloud nodded in approval. Yunai slowly reached for his wrist, grasped it very gently and waited. Cloud sat there a bit anxious and nervous, this would be the first time Yunai practiced her healing on him. Yunai drained her mind, only focusing on Cloud's wound. She usually could cure the average cut or a small opened wound, but a broken bone was much more challenging. They sat in silence for a few moments. Suddenly, she felt herself feeling drained. She grew sort of dizzy. Cloud began to groan a bit, his arm was feeling something now. Yunai sighed and removed her hand from Cloud's wrist.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure if that helped at all." she said with disappointment.

"No, it doesn't hurt anymore." he said almost happily. He even bent it to show Yunai that he wasn't lying.

"Thanks Yunai." he said, his eyes smiling again. Yunai smiled back, she couldn't help but feel a bit proud of herself.

"Of course." she replied.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

A Helping Hand

Midgar erupted with noise. It was now midday, but the clouds hid the sun from the world. The day felt dark, something was about to be unleashed, something bad. Cloud and Yunai arrived in MIdgar, stampedes of people ran by them, screaming in terror. Large dark beasts ran by, terrorizing them, some even dragging people in their mouths.

"What is that?!" Yunai practically screamed, pointing to the sky. Cloud raised his head. A monsterous sized flying beast flew above them high in the sky. It gave out a loud screeching roar, causing vibrations. Cloud took out two swords from his motorcycle and put them together forming one solid sword. Yunai watched in awe.

"Cloud!" a familiar voice called. It was Tifa who began running towards them. Denzel following not too far behind. Cloud's eyes lit up as he waited for her to approach him. Yunai looked surprised seeing that Denzel seemed to be fine. Yunai hopped off Cloud's motorcycle and made her way to Denzel to hug him. They came together, grasping each other tightly.

"I'm never talking to strangers again!" Denzel almost cried. Yunai brushed his hair with her hand. She sighed happily.

"I'm so happy your okay." she said relieved. She looked at him and smiled. She then turned around to face Tifa. Yunai faced her a bit embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, that I wasn't much help." Yunai said silently. Tifa looked surprised by her apology. She hugged Yunai tightly and unexpectedly. Yunai was surprised by her action, but returned the hug.

"I'm just glad that your okay." Tifa smiled. She then turned to Cloud, who looked a bit left out.

"Whoa!" a familiar voice cried out. Yunai looked up to the sky where the voice surprisingly came from.

"Yuffie?!" Yunai called out a bit shocked. Yuffie came down in a parachute, landing swiftly onto the ground. She threw the parachute over her head like a cape while smiling.

"So, who's been stealing my materia?" Yuffie asked. Yunai laughed lightly at Yuffies statement. Same old Yuffie.

"The bad guys, naturally," Tifa replied, as if giving the punchline to a joke. She waved to Yunai and the others, turned around and ran after the flying beast. As Yunai was about to run after her she heard another voice.

"Where can a buy a phone?" a tall man with flowing dark hair asked. It was Vincent. Denzel looked at him in awe and turned to Tifa. Yunai smiled, remembering what he had done to help them.

"Who are they?" Denzel asked.

"They're our friends." Tifa replied happily. She looked to Cloud once more.

"I took Marlene home." he said. He began getting his swords ready by placing one over his shoulder. " I feel lighter, all that dilly dally." he said almost with humor. Tifa smiled brightly. She began to get onto the motorcycle with Cloud, leaving Yunai with Denzel.

"Yunai, I need you to take Denzel home." she said sounding serious. Yunai looked up with a bit of shock.

"Um," she stated a bit nervous. Denzel grasped her hand gently. Yunai pondered at the gesture, "Okay, I will! " she finally said. Tifa smiled as Cloud zoomed off towards the flying beast's direction. They watched them until they made their way around the large monument that represented the fateful day when their world was almost once destroyed. It felt as if time was repeating itself, motivating Yunai to do what she needed to do.

"Let's go." she said to Denzel gripping his hand tighter, hinting that she was ready to make haste. He understood so they began to run through the crowds of people. The large beast began to center itself just above the monument, it's dim shadow casted over Yunai and Denzel. It began to screech and roar, causing everyones ears to ring. A glowing blue light began to form around it's mouth.

"It's going to blow something up!" Denzel shouted in fear. Yunai looked up and down at the beast, and then to the monument. It was going to hit the monument!

"We need to get away from the monment!" Yunai shouted while pulling Denzel with her as she tried to get at a much further distance from it or they would get the blow too. Right when Yunai took her eyes off the monument, a force came through her and all of her surroundings, causing her and Denzel to lift off the ground. She lost her grip on Denzel and went hurdling toward the asfault. She skidded violently onto the floor with metal pieces and rubble rolling over her. She laid on the floor motionless, but alive. She could feel that the right side of her body was scraped up. Her knees and elbows bled and stung like hell. She looked up very slowly, her head feeling heavy, and saw the remains of the monument that lay around her. She tried to move but her body felt heavy and paralized. She turned her head to look at her bottom half of her body to notice that there was a huge piece of scrap metal that lied on top of her.

Moments later a shadow lured over her. Yunai raised her head with much effort but could not see the person who stood before her.

"Damn, your pretty banged up." the stranger said sounding worried. Yunai shook her head carefully, trying to get up, but failed.

"Hey! Carefull . . ." he began to say. She began to feel the weight on her lower half lighten, her legs filled with feeling again which tingled like a thousand needles. The man held a hand out to her and without looking up, she took it. As she stood up, she tried brushing off all the dirt from her clothing, having not looking at the man who helped her still.

"Thank you." she said a bit hoarse. There's was so much dust in the air that it made it almost hard to breathe. She finally looked up to the man who had saved her, her eyes nearly tearing because of the atmosphere.

" No need to cry over it." the man laughed but then coughed. He wiped the sweat from his brow and then waved his hand in front of him, trying to relieve the dust clouds that surrounded them. Yunai raised a brow and her stare now became somewhat of a glare.

"I'm not crying! It's just the dust..." she trailed off while wiping her eyes.

"The name's Reno. You have a name? And why are you out in this battlefield all alone?" Reno asked her. Yunai's eyes became wide as she realized something very important.

"Denzel!" she shouted startling Reno. She began looking right then left. She went into a panic.

"I didn't know that was a girl's name." Reno joked while laughing lightly.

"No, that's my friends name! We got seperated from the explosion and now I don't know where he is!" Yunai stated with much worry, her voice cracking. Reno's face turned from being content to worry.

"Hey, don't get worked up over it. I'm sure you'll find him." Reno said, his words sounding sweet. Yunai turned to Reno calmly trying to keep herself under control. She was about to say something but she swallowed her words.

"I'm sorry I have to go now!" Yunai said as she began running the opposite direction. Reno watched her a bit surprised by her action.

"Uh...", he trailed, "... your welcome?" He smiled to himself and even blushed slightly. "What an odd girl. Cute though."

"Reno!" called a man from a distance. The man was fighting off two familiar silver haired men but failing miserably. Reno then made haste towards the battle with an electorod in hand.


End file.
